Our Team

Gwen K. Baker ~ Founder, Managing Partner

Founder of GB Financial, Gwen is a graduate of Pine Manor Jr. College and Simmons College with a degree in Journalism.  She holds insurance licenses in over a dozen states.  She is a leader in the estate and insurance planning arena, winning numerous awards for outstanding production from broker-dealers, mutual fund companies and insurance carriers. She has lectured to women on the subject of finance; to CPAs around the country on tax planning techniques using insurance products, and has authored articles on divorce and money as well as women and money and charitable estate planning. She is a multiple Million Dollar Round Table Court of the Table Member; attendee at top industry conferences.

She worked in print journalism as a television producer at several Boston television stations prior to entering financial services. She served the Town of Wellesley as member of the Veterans’ Celebration Committee and on parent committees of St. Mark’s School and the Fessenden School. She has also been and is an active volunteer raising money for various non- profit groups and schools in the community. Gwen is a competitive runner.

Bracknell E. Baker, CLU® ~ Managing Partner

 Bracknell attended University of California at Berkeley and Trinity College, Hartford, CT where he graduated with a BA  in  Economics and History with a focus in International Finance. He was a member of the US National Rowing Team in  2006,  coxing the Lightweight Men’s eight at the world championships to a fifth place finish, and has led championship  crews  winning at numerous regattas nationally and internationally.

 A member of the Forum 400 and the MDRT "Top of the Table", Brack holds the FINRA Series 7, 63, and 65, and has  been  a registered representative since the age of 20. He received his Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) from the  American  College. His design is behind GB Financials unique insurance financing strategy, GBFGPreservation. He is  Class agent and  member of Alumni executive committee for Fessenden School, Member of the Alumni council and  Class Agent for St.  Mark’s School. He serves as a member of the Friends of Trinity Rowing Board and serves on the  Race Committee for the  Head of the Charles Regatta.  He is a member of the Power Ten of New York and the Leander  Club of Henley-on-Thames.

Jackie Peters ~ Director of Case Management, Executive Assistant to Managing Partners

Born and raised in southern New Jersey, Jackie founded and managed her own successful business in 2001 and became associated with the GB Financial Group in 2004.  In 2007 she joined GBFG on a full time basis.

Jackie was a distinguished member of the Women’s organization, "Soroptomists, International".  She has served and held office on numerous parent committees for her children’s schools, sports groups, and scouting associations.  She also serves as a volunteer for "Toys for Tots", Forgotten Soldiers Outreach, United Way and Coastal Cleanup organizations.

She is mother of three children, has two grandchildren, and enjoys boating and fishing with her family.

Caleb S. Baker ~ Analyst

Caleb graduated with honors from Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, PA and from IAU, Aix-en-Provence, France.  In addition to his studies, Caleb worked to develop a chapter of the charity organization, "Circles of Support" in Gettysburg, which assists low-income single mothers in finding jobs and provides emotional support as well as weekly dinners and childcare.  

Caleb began working with the GB Financial Group part-time in 2005 and joined full-time in 2008.  Caleb was brought on to further develop and expand the financial modeling, product selection, and data-analysis at GB Financial.  Since that time, Caleb's creativity and expertise in product selection has allowed the GB Financial Group to stay at the forefront of Insurance based solutions.  Further, his constant refinement of GB Financial's proven platform has assisted in enhancing the lifetime management of these solutions. 

He is fluent in French and is an active member of The French Cultural Center of Boston.  In his free time Caleb enjoys gourmet cooking, acoustic guitar, and running.

Rene Stuifzand ~ Director of Lending  

Originally from The Netherlands, Rene obtained his Masters in Macro-Economics from the University of Amsterdam and proceeded to embark on a long international career earning his Doctoral studies at INSEAD’s Fontainebleau, France campus and Stanford University.  Rene spent the early part of his professional life with UBS Securities, first in London and later in New York, where he was responsible for the firm’s proprietary non-Dollar Fixed-Income trading in the Western Hemisphere. 

The next 15 years Rene spent with ING as a career-expatriate and held various senior management positions.  Originally hired as the Head of Capital Markets, his later responsibilities included CEO of ING Furman Selz, a 650-employee investment bank, Vice Chairman of ING’s International Private Bank, a global private bank with 29 offices in 24 countries, and CEO and President of ING Finance, LLC, the industry’s then leading life insurance premium finance firm. During his career Rene was fortunate to have been given the opportunity to live in places as diverse as London, New York, San Francisco, The Netherlands Antilles, Switzerland, and Singapore.

An avid reader, golfer and skier, Rene enjoys life with his wife Amy in Connecticut.

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David J. Stull ~ Northern California Regional Director:  Founder of Stull Financial, operating continually since 1977,  Dave is a graduate of Bethany College, Minneapolis, MN with a degree in Theology.  In addition, Dave holds Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and Certified Life Underwriter (CLU) designations which he received in 1982.  Dave is also registered as an Independent Advisor Representative and holds the FINRA Series 6, 7, 22 & 63 licenses.  Dave has a diverse background having lived in West Africa for 4 years. He has spent the last 30 years developing his financial services practice with an emphasis on retirement and estate planning for business owners and professionals. He is a member of the Brookside Country Club, Stockton East Rotary and the Gideons.

Bernard Wall, Harrison & Held:  A partner at H&H, Bernie is lead counsel for GBFGPreservation® and handles our estate planning legal work, coordinating with our client’s counsel. A graduate of the University of Illinois and Harvard Law School, Bernie is the former president of the Chicago Estate Planning Counsel, as well as a former Chairman of the Trust Law Committee of the Chicago Bar Association. His practice focuses on estate planning, probate administration, and charitable and non-charitable giving.

Christopher H. Eng, Kroloff, Belcher, Smart, Perry & Christopherson:  A partner of K, B, S, P & C, Chris runs the California branch of our estate planning legal work. A graduate of the California State University at Sacramento, the McGeorge School of Law, and the University of the Pacific, Chris is a certified specialist in Estate Planning and Trust and Probate Law by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. He is also the recipient of the Northern California Super Lawyer Award in Estate Planning by San Francisco Magazine in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Maureen Berrios, Berrios and Associates: A member of the NATP, NSA, NYSA, and the Council for Special Education Services, Maureen is a graduate of Hofstra University.  Specializing in IRS tax law cases and solution, she has been practicing entrepreneurial business advisory, tax accounting, and outsourcing services for the past twenty-four years.  Over that time, she was awarded mention in the "8th Edition of the Most Notable 200 Women for Outstanding Service to the Community, State, and Union" as well as the "International Directory for who's who of American Women".  She is currently authoring a book on entrepreneurial small business and the business/owner relationship.  Outside of the office, Maureen is an avid gardener and reader.  A basketball coach for several years, she led her team to their respective championships five times.  In her spare time, she generously volunteers for the homeless in soup kitchens and is a strong supporter for animal rights.

Richard R. Cox, CPA/ABV, CVA, BVAL, CFFA, Richard R. Cox, Certified Public Accountant, P.A.:  Founder and president of Richard R. Cox, Certified Public Accountant, P.A., Ric has been a CPA in the state of North Carolina since 1976.  His other designations signify an advanced level of competence in forensic analysis and business valuation science combined with ongoing peer review as substantial continuing education requirements.  Ric is a graduate of East Carolina University with a BS in Accounting.  The firm is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants (NCACPA) and the staff maintains the highest standard of quality services.

Randy Huston, CFP and Rob Huston, CPA, Yellowstone Trust Administration:  Randy and Rob have over forty years of combined experience in charitable estate planning and administration. They strive to help individuals reduce estate and income taxes, increase spendable income, and responsibly provide for loved ones.